“I'm Not Going Anywhere” by Matthew Palmer
For two hundred years, an old oak tree has stood in the same patch of earth - watching seasons shift, people come and go, and the quiet rhythm of life unfold around him. But lately, he’s restless. Bored. He wonders what else might be out there beyond the horizon he’s never crossed. What might life have been like if he’d been planted somewhere else - or been someone else entirely?
Just as he begins to dream of far-off adventures he’ll never take, he receives sobering news: he’s sick, and his time is running out. This unexpected twist shakes him, forcing him to confront questions of meaning and legacy. Has his long, unmoving life truly amounted to anything?
That’s when he notices a small sapling - an offshoot from one of his own acorns - growing quietly nearby. The oak begins to share his knowledge and hard-won wisdom with the sapling, passing on simple observations he's made over time.
As he speaks to the sapling, he and his offspring glimpse humanity’s messiness - its beauty, its failures, and grace. And in that reflection, he comes to understand that he has not merely stood still, but witnessed a world in motion. In his stillness, he has seen everything.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“I'm Not Going Anywhere began as a quiet question: what if a tree could speak? Not just speak, but reflect on its life, its purpose, and what it means to have truly lived - just like humans do? I’ve always been drawn to characters who sit on the edges of stories, watching life unfold around them. This film's oak tree felt like one of those characters: a witness to time, rooted in place, blessed (and burdened) with perspective.
The story emerged from that idea of stillness. We often think of movement as the marker of a life well-lived. But what if standing still - simply paying attention - offered its own kind of richness? As our oak tree confronts his own mortality, what begins as regret slowly becomes gratitude. Through his conversations with a young sapling, his “child”, he comes to see that his life wasn’t lacking. It was full - of change, love, sorrow, and quiet beauty.
Stylistically, I wanted the film to move between stillness and motion, echoing the tree’s own experience: life swirling around him while he remains anchored. The story is reflective, lyrical, and grounded in emotion. It explores legacy not as something grand or heroic, but as something tender and enduring - wisdom passed down, quietly, to the next generation.
At its heart, I'm Not Going Anywhere is about embracing where you are and recognizing that even a single life, rooted in one place, can hold multitudes.”
-Matthew Palmer
CREDITS
Director// Matthew Palmer
Writer// Reilly Baker and Matthew Palmer
Director of Photography// Iain Trimble
Producer// Gabby Occhipinti
Producer// Isaac Karsen
Executive Producer// Trust
Associate Producer// Avocados & Coconuts
Editor// Nate Clark
Composer// Romain Collin
Colorist// Keyhan Bayegan
Tree Voiceover// Kiff VandenHeuvel
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